Teach Me the Ways of the Mountain
by breezyme
Summary: Takes place after Lose Yourself. Jude makes a choice after she sings. She knows now that she shouldn't stay. So she runs away to-Salt Lake City? And she's teaching people to snowboard?
1. Prologue

**I just want to write this story, so I'll skip the ramblings. Maybe I'll ramble at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Instant Star**

I sighed heavily, closing my eyes. I opened them again, and this time I clicked to 'upload' button. I smiled then.

The not-so-fantastic pictures of me were posted on my own web page. That blackmailing asshole can go to hell; I _refuse _to let anyone have any power over me. Not Liam, not Darius, not even Tommy.

I took my phone out of the large backpack I had, and dialed Darius' number. As expected, I just got his voicemail.

"Darius, I want to let you know, that regardless of familiar voices, I've made a choice; I need to get away from this all. For good. Don't come looking for me; I already know where I'm going and you won't find me. Good bye, Darius. Oh and tell Tommy… you know what, never mind." I clicked the end button, and then quietly shut the phone, throwing it in the trashcan on the way out.

**So, what do y'all think? I know I've got a billion and three other fanfics to update, AND I WILL, but I really liked this idea.**

**Cheers,**

**breezyme**


	2. A New Group of Learners

**Disclaimer: Do I have to say it? I don't own Salt Lake City (or any land, for that matter), Instant Star, or Canyons Ski Resort (this is a real (and fabulous, btw) ski resort in SLC).**

**Hello kiddies! The last chapter was just to show you what happened two years ago. Now, we get to see Jude,**

Two years later…

"Okay Emily, that was really good. Just make sure to transfer your weight to your heel-side edge once your facing forward, and then you'll stop falling," I said to the young girl of about six standing in front of me, her feet attached to a snowboard.

Emily offered a brief "Thank you, Jane," before unbuckling her bindings and running to her parents. I had taken on the name Jane when I left Canada. It turned out that I wasn't well known in the states, so it was pretty much an unnecessary precaution, but one I took nonetheless.

"Jane!" someone called from behind me. I turned around to Sam, the head of the ski/snowboarding instruction program at Canyons. Sam knew my real name, but he let me keep 'Jane' because I had said I just didn't want people knowing my name.

"Yes?"

"I know I've told you a million times, you're our best instructor-"

"Sam spit out what you want now, no amount of sugar-coating or bribery will get me to do something truly heinous," I snapped, irritated.

"We have a group of nine beginners that we need you to teach."

"So? Sam there's no problem there; I've done that before." I glanced at him suspiciously. "Anything else?"

"Nope. Oh, by the way, some of them are learning to ski, and some are learning to snowboard. Bye!" And then he ran off before I could strangle him.

He wants me to teach skiers and snowboarders, in the same lesson? Is that even possible? And how long was this lesson? Oh god, I hoped it was only an hour and not an all-day. That would totally suck ass.

I turned in the direction Sam had run, and saw him talking to a group of nine people. When Sam pointed to me, all eight heads turn to me. I nearly dropped my snowboard when I realized I _knew _those eight people. Jamie, Karma, Spied, Wally, Kyle, Darius, Portia, Patsy, and Tommy all stood there, staring at me.

"Hey Blondie," Patsy said, coming up to me and holding up a hand for me to high-five.

"Excuse me?" I said, adding a southern drawl to my voice. Sam looked at me funny. "Just 'cause I'm blonde-"

"C'mon Blondie. It's me, Patsy!"

"I've never seen you before. And stop calling me Blondie!" Tommy looked at me for a second, then sighed and turned to Patsy.

"It's not her, Patsy. Just leave her alone." Tommy looked very sad as he said this. Although I knew the answer, I had to make sure they didn't know who I was.

"I'm not who?" I asked

"No one," Tommy whispered. Spied shot him a sympathetic glance. Looking at Tommy's sad face, I did something that usually cheered him up.

"Hey, aren't you Tommy Quincy from Boyz Attack? Can I have an autograph?" I looked at him with wide, glistening fan-girl eyes.

"It's _Tom._ And I don't do autographs anymore," he said darkly.

"Well, Jane, it's time to teach these fine people the fine sport that is snowboarding. And skiing," Sam said, coming up next to me. "You have these fine folks for the rest of the day! Isn't that great?"

I plastered a fake smile onto my face, and nodded. "That sounds wonderful," I said, lying through my teeth.

This was not going to be fun.

**Okay, so did you know I started writing this chapter in Salt Lake City on my mom's laptop, and then at home on my mom's laptop, and then transferred it onto a memory stick, wrote some on my computer, wrote some on a napkin during my flute lesson, wrote more on the napkin while waiting for my mom to get out of the grocery store, and then finished on my computer? Yeah, I know, I need to get a life.**

**Hope you enjoyed this! Oh, and I've had 5-7 years of skiing experience and two days of snowboarding experience, so I know a bit about both.**

**Cheers,**

**breezyme**


	3. Patsy's the Only One Who Knows

**You guys (reviewers, readers, etc.), you're the best. Seriously. This chapter's for you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I. don't. own. Instant Star. Period.**

We all sat on the bunny hill, with me being the only person attached to my board. I was trying to figure out what to do first.

"Uhm, alright," I began, dropping the fake-sounding southern drawl. "First we need to make sure your boots are tight enough."

Everyone immediately started tightening their boots. When they finished I began to speak. "Alright, now I want all the skiers to sit at the top of the bunny hill. I'm going to work with the snowboarders first." Karma, Darius, and Portia all scrambled to the top of the hill, lugging their skis with them.

I started laying out the basics of snowboarding for Tommy, SME, Jamie, and Patsy. They were all pretty fast learners, and before I knew it, I was teaching them how to slide downhill **(this is something I learned during my first snowboarding lesson. You basically have one foot strapped in, and the other foot on the middle of the board. Then you slide downhill with your heel-side edge (the edge your heels are facing) digging into the snow, and voila! You start sliding down in a snow-plow like manner).**

I held each of their hands as they slid, one by one, facing them. Finally it came to teaching Tommy how to slide. I was strapped into my snowboard, my toe-side edge digging into the snow, as he slowly slid down the hill. As he got up, he held onto my hands for support, and I immediately dropped them, letting out a yelp as I felt as spark. He dropped them at the same time, also letting out a yelp. Everyone stopped their chatting to watch

"Sorry Tom," I said feeling myself blushing. I just hoped no one noticed.

"No problem," he breathed, sounding puzzled. He quickly recovered, and then gained his usual coolness.

The rest of the lesson (which turned out to be all day) went off without a hitch, or a spark. I received a few accusatory looks from Patsy, and I think I'm going to have to tell her the truth. I think she'll keep her mouth shut, though. When we finished, Sam came up to us.

"So, Jane, why don't you show these fine folks the Dear Lodge, where they'll be staying," he said cheerfully.

I glared at him a moment before leading them to the lodge where they, (as well as me) were staying.

---

I heard the sound of a card key slipping into the lock, then the door to my suite opening. I quickly jumped out of bed, searching for a large, blunt object.

"Calm down, Blondie. It's just me," Patsy said, somewhat bitterly.

"Pats?" I asked close to tears. I don't think I realized how much I missed her. Her expression softened a little at the nickname. She came up to me.

"Jude?" she asked calmly. I just nodded. Then she slapped me across the face. "You idiot! Do you know how hurt everyone was when you left? How hurt I was? How hurt _Tommy _was?"

My face hardened a bit at his name. Yes, I missed him, but I was still a bit bitter about that night, as well as the night of my release party. "I'm sorry about the rest of you. I don't _give a damn_ how Quincy feels, though. How's his secret daughter, by the way?"

Patsy just laughed at me. "Secret daughter? I forgot how your naïve attitude makes me laugh, Blondie. That child was Darius' daughter. Tommy had to go pick her up."

"Well, that's nice to know, but it doesn't change anything. It's just one more thing in the long string of ways Tommy hurt me, one more thing he didn't even try to explain," I said harshly, on the verge of tears. **(I'm sorry, I love that line, I just had to use it, because Jude is so right.)**

Patsy pondered this for a moment. "You're right, Blondie. But still, why'd you leave? We were all sad. I even caught Darius crying in his office," Patsy said, getting angry.

I couldn't help it; I smirked. "I would pay money to see that," I whispered wickedly.

"Well hand over five bucks, because I've got five seconds of it on my phone," Patsy said, grinning.

We laughed. "Patsy, you don't know how much I've missed you," I say sadly. "All of you guys."

"Well then tell them all that it's you. What's the real you so scared of?" she said, reminding me of the conversation we'd had about the photos.

"The real me isn't scared. The real me just hates drama. Please, Pats, keep this quiet. I might tell them all in time, but for now I just want to keep living my life," I begged.

Patsy sighed before responding. "Fine, but Blondie, you better treat me like your friend at the next lesson. Or I'll spill," she said, giving me a warning look.

"I promise," I said. We then proceeded to chat for a few hours before she snuck back to her room.

---

_Portia stepped away from the hole in the wall she'd been using to listen to the conversation._

Jude sure as hell wasn't going to tell Tommy or anyone who'd tell Tommy that she was here. Tommy was doing just fine without Jude, and soon he'll come crawling back to me, _Portia thought._

**Hope you guys liked the ending. The last little bit was an after-thought, just to add to the plot. I know Patsy was a little serious, but Patsy and Jude always seemed like really good friends, so I figured Patsy would be pretty broken up about Jude just up and leaving.**

**Cheers,**

**breezyme**


	4. Night Out

**Hey guys! Oh, if you were wondering about the 'regardless of familiar voices' thing from Jude's speech in the prologue, that was referring to the lyrics of 'I Don't Know if I Should Stay' (which, btw, was how I got inspiration for this story. I was in Salt Lake City and we were driving back from Canyons, and I was listening to 'I Don't Know if I Should Stay on my (freezing cold) iPod, and the idea for this story popped into my head).**

**Disclaimer: I own what I own. Instant Star is, unfortunately, not what I own.**

After another day of lessons, Patsy came up to me while Jamie tried (unsuccessfully, being the wimp that he is) to lug both his and Patsy's snowboards.

"Blondie, we're going out. You're coming with us," Patsy commanded.

"Ms. Sewer, I'm far too busy," I said stiffly.

Patsy shot me a warning glare. "Call me _Patsy, _Blondie. Let your hair down for the night. We're just going to eat."

I sighed. I promised Patsy I'd be a friend, and what could having dinner with them hurt?

---

I glared at Patsy angrily; we weren't having dinner just anywhere, we were having at a restaurant/karaoke bar. And I just knew that somehow, by the end of the night, I was going to be singing.

Patsy just smiled at me in response to my death glare.

We sat down in one of those tables that seats a bunch of people, but has a booth surrounding it instead of chairs. I ended up squished between Spied and Patsy. Without my helmet I was afraid they'd recognize me, but I had died my hair platinum blonde, and then cut it just below the chin. I had also grown out my bangs. My attire was closer to my wardrobe when I first one Instant Star; well beaten jeans, a plain red top and smoky eye shadow.

I saw Kyle and Wally looking me up and down, no doubt checking me out. I reached across Spied to smack Kyle.

"Stop checking me out, pervert," I glared. Spied and Wally laughed while Kyle rubbed his cheek. I smiled. I had forgotten how much I missed SME, and I was glad they hadn't grown up.

I also saw Tommy examining me out of the corner of my eye, but his was more… calculating.

Darius leaned across the table. "You know, platinum's my favorite color," he said, grinning and gesturing at my hair.

"I know," I whispered, but he apparently heard me. He looked at me for a second, his expression turned to a calculating one to match Tommy's. "Isn't that every record company manager's favorite?" I asked, grinning. Everyone broke into laughter. Tommy even cracked a smile.

As the night went on, Tommy started loosening up, becoming more like the Tommy I knew.

After we ordered, Patsy detached herself from Jamie's lips long enough to say "Hey Blondie, you should try some karaoke. We'd all love to hear you sing," and then devoured Jamie's lips again. Everyone except Patsy and Jamie turned to me, waiting for my answer.

"I can't sing a note," I said. "I'd rather not be sued for verbal abuse tonight."

Just then the manager came on to the stage. Everyone turned to look at him. I realized too late that I knew the guy.

"Hey everybody! Are you all having a good time tonight?" Everyone cheered in response. After they quieted down, Pete, the manager began again. "I'm the manager here, Pete. Now, as you all probably know, we have karaoke. On the karaoke machine, we have all of Jane Corola's singles. We're also lucky enough to have Jane here tonight, in the flesh." A spotlight shone in my face. "What do you say we get her up tonight, and have her sing one of her hits?"

All the locals started cheering, and Spied turned to me. "Liar, liar," he whispered. I grinned sheepishly. I had started releasing singles under my alias about a year ago. No matter how hard I tried, I could never completely get away from music.

"Jane, come on up here! For an old friend?" Pete begged.

I sighed before squeezing out of the booth. "Alright Pete!" I yelled. "But I'm choosing which song!"

He smiled. "I didn't expect it any other way." The locals all chuckled. I visited this place about once or twice a month, so this wasn't an unusual occurrence.

I ran up to the guy at the machine and whispered to him which song to play. He smiled at my choice; I hadn't done this one in a while.

"Okay guys," I began as the opening notes played. "We're going to take you all the way back. This was my first single; I released it about a year ago, but I wrote it about two years ago."

"_He drowns in his dreams  
An exquisite extreme I know  
He's as damned as he seems  
And more heaven than a heart could hold"_

I couldn't help it. My eyes drifted to Tommy. This song, like so many of my others, was about him.

"_And if I try to save him  
My whole world could cave in  
It just ain't right  
It just ain't right"_

I remembered writing this. It was the same night I left. I had been driving all the way to Salt Lake City. Once I got across the US border, I had stopped at the first rest stop. I broke down and cried for a few minutes before writing this song.

"_Oh and I don't know  
I don't know what he's after  
But he's so beautiful  
Such a beautiful disaster  
And if I could hold on  
Through the tears and the laughter  
Would it be beautiful?  
Or just a beautiful disaster"_

When I got around to writing the chorus, I remembered doubting; wondering if leaving was the right thing to do. I so badly wanted to make it work with Tommy, but then I remembered all he had done; some wounds wouldn't heal.

"_He's magic and myth  
As strong as what I believe  
A tragedy with  
More damage than a soul should see  
And do I try to change him?  
So hard not to blame him  
Hold on tight  
Hold on tight"_

I took a deep breath before singing the chorus, this time singing directly to Tommy.

"_Oh 'cause I don't know  
I don't know what he's after  
But he's so beautiful  
Such a beautiful disaster  
And if I could hold on  
Through the tears and the laughter  
Would it be beautiful?  
Or just a beautiful disaster_

I'm longing for love and the logical  
But he's only happy hysterical  
I'm waiting for some kind of miracle  
Waited so long  
So long"

I waited and waited for him to come home. I waited and waited for him to get over caring what people thought and just tell me that he loved me. But he was Tommy Quincy; always would and always will be, just like Kwest said (speaking of Kwest, where was he and Sadie? Oh well).

"_He's soft to the touch  
But frayed at the end he breaks  
He's never enough  
And still he's more than I can take"_

I think the first time I realized that I needed to get away from all was while I was sing 'I Don't Know if I Should Stay.' We had a _date._ We were finally going to work it all out. But he left at a moment's notice and left me heartbroken, crying out in the street. I wrote a song about that, too, but that's for another day.

"_Oh 'cause I don't know  
I don't know what he's after  
But he's so beautiful  
Such a beautiful disaster  
And if I could hold on  
Through the tears and the laughter  
Would it be beautiful?  
Or just a beautiful disaster_

He's beautiful  
Such a beautiful disaster

Beautiful  
Beautiful disaster"

The crowd all clapped and cheered, screaming for an encore. "C'mon you guys; give someone else the chance to shine," I said into the mic. And then I stepped offstage and walked back to my table, where our food had arrived.

"Can't sing a note my ass!" Kyle said.

"Yeah dude, that was amazing!" Spied exclaimed, looking like an over-excited puppy.

"A) I have a name; use it. B) Just how many sodas have you had while I've been gone?" I asked him accusingly. He shrugged.

"C'mon, let's eat," Wally said, staring at his burger hungrily.

---

Somehow I ended up being stuck in car, alone with Tommy, on the ride back to the lodge. He seemed completely at ease, so I decided to take full advantage of the situation.

"What's your favorite color?" I asked.

"Blue. Yours?"

"Black. Favorite song?"

"Hey Jude." My breath caught in my throat, and his smile seemed a bit forced after that. "You?"

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams." **(lol, I checked the Instant Star website for this.)** "Birthday?"

"June 2nd." **(I used my own for this one.)** "You?"

"December 16." He smiled at this. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing. I just knew someone with that birthday," his smile faltered a bit after that. His expression turned cold again. I turned away from him, knowing the Q & A session was over. We rode in silence the rest of the way to the lodge.

**Okay, I don't normally update as fast I have been for this story, so don't get used to this. Even though I'm going to start typing up the next chapter as soon as I post this.**

**Toodles,**

**breezyme**


	5. What Am I Doing?

**Alright****, I forgot to say this last chapter. The song was Beautiful Disaster, by Kelly Clarkson. It's one of my personal favorites. Enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I'm going to start doing what I did with another fanfic of mine; I'm going to exercise y'all's **_**mind reading**_** skills. After every author's note, **_**read my mind **_**(OMG! I forgot that that dude says that all the time in **_**Stick It!**_** which is one of the best movies ever, btw. Lol, I'll stop now). When you read my mind (lol!)**** you'll see that I'm disclaiming ownership of anything except Sam and the plot. Y'all up for that? Oh, and btw, although I use y'all all the time, that's just because it rolls off the tongue nicely, so it's really fast to say. I actually live in the northern United States.**

It's midnight, and Patsy is currently barging in. At least, I sure hope it's Patsy.

I reluctantly get out from under the covers, yawning and trying to stand up. Just as I close my jaw, I drop it again, because trudging along behind Patsy is SME.

"Jude!" Spied whispers excitedly, jumping up and hugging me. I glare over his shoulder at Patsy quickly before surrendering into the hug. I love me some SME.

"Spied?" I'm on the verge of tears. "I missed you," I sniffled; scratch that, I am crying.

"What about us?" Kyle asks indignantly.

I run up to Kyle and Wally and give them a huge hug at the same time. "I missed you guys, too."

"Ack, it's worse than care bears," Patsy said. "Far too sweet."

"Oh shut-up, Patsy. Let me have my boys," I said. And then Spied, Kyle, and Wally all punched my arm at the same time.

"Dude! Why'd you leave? We missed you," Spied said.

"I had to Spied, I just had to. And if you don't mind, I'd prefer not to rehash those memories," I said, looking away.

"Fine. But we have to tell Tommy!" Kyle said.

"No way!" I yelled, a fire burning through me. "I might tell him by the end of this trip, but right now I just want to keep things as they are."

"Dude, we have to," Wally said earnestly. "Tommy was a wreck when you left!"

"Wally, there is absolutely no way. If someone tells Tommy, it'll be me, and it'll be on my own terms," I stated firmly, glaring at them.

Spied sighed. "Fine, but you have to do something for us."

"What?" I asked.

"Jam with us?" Spied pleaded. "We've got our instruments with us!"

I smiled. That wasn't even unpleasant for me; I missed jamming with SME almost as much as I missed the boys themselves. "Of course! Get your instruments; there's a soundproof room in the basement."

---

_"Not standing __around,_

_ Not standing around,__Not standing around_

_No, no, no__"_

I finished off the song smiling like crazy. "Sorry, I'm a bit rusty," I admitted sheepishly.

"Dude, that was great!" Wally exclaimed. "You better jam with us every night we're here, all night long."

"We'll see about that," I laughed. "Tomorrow you'll start linking turns, and your butt will be sore. In fact, you'll be sore all over. We'll see if you still want to jam then."

---

"Dammit!" I yelled loudly. "Spied, do you _ever _listen? Your board is flexible for a reason!"

"Jane," Kyle whined. "I keep falling when I try to turn."

"Are you TRANSFERRING your weight from one edge to another like I told you to?" I asked angrily. Teaching nine people was hard enough; now throw SME into the mix and you've got impossible.

"Jane!" Tommy yelled from the other side of the slope. "A little help?" I turned to see him on the ground, wincing every time he moved his wrists.

I sighed exasperatedly. "Tommy, did you throw your wrists out when you fell?" Tommy looked sheepish while SME stopped chattering and stared.

"Well, I didn't so much _throw _them out as…" he trailed off, seeing my glare, and sighed. "Yeah, okay."

"Let me see," I said, plopping down next to him. I took off his right glove, holding his wrist gingerly. "I don't think it's broken, but it might be sprained. You should go see the doctor."

"Will you come with me?" he pleaded.

"You're afraid?" I asked grinning.

"No," he said, quite obviously in denial.

"Oh Tommy, that is so adorable!" I said. He looked at me funny for a second, and then I remembered. We had basically had this conversation when I was trying to convince him to perform at the telethon.

He shook it off, though, and tried to stand up, wincing as he did so. "Let me help!" I said. I undid his bindings, then grabbed his forearms, pulling him up.

"You're strong for your size, tiny," he said grinning.

"Yeah, well I've been snowboarding for a while." Try every day of the ski season since I got here a little less than two years ago. "C'mon, let's get you to the doctor."

---

Tommy POV

I sat in a chair while a doctor bandaged my wrists and Jane stared at me worriedly.

_Jane._

Jane was so much like Jude. Same birthday, same interests; if I didn't know any better I'd say she _was _Jude. Her voice sounded so much like Jude's, just a little mellower, a little sadder.

But Jude couldn't be Jane; Jude had once told me she'd never done winter sports, and never wanted to either. I wanted her to be Jude _so _badly. If she was, then I could tell her all the things I was going to tell her before she performed two years ago. But she'd thought Maya was mine, and she'd run off to her dressing room. Darius had pulled me into a hug, giving me a long thank you speech, so I hadn't been able to get to her dressing room. By the time Darius stopped thanking me, Jude had already left. I thought I'd just get some sleep; talk to her in the morning when I wasn't so jet-lagged. But I never saw her again after that.

But when I was with Jane, I forgot about Jude. I probably would've asked her out if it weren't for the fact that I felt like that would be betraying Jude. In my heart, I always held this little hope that I'd see Jude again. And if that happened, I wanted to be able to tell her that I'd never been with anyone since I left her; that I loved _her _and her only. But with Jane, the crushing feeling that I felt every time I thought of Jude seemed just a little less crushing. I even let her call me Tommy; it's always been Tom ever since she left. Only Jude was allowed to call me Tommy. But, bit by bit, Jane was working her way into my heart. No one could ever replace Jude, but Jane was able to work her way next to Jude in just the three days we've been here.

"Alright," the doctor said. "Just take it easy and you'll be fine. No snowboarding until tomorrow," she said sternly.

"Don't worry, Ray. I'll make sure he doesn't," Jane said, glaring at me sternly. I just grinned mischievously.

"Let's get some lunch," I said. "I'm hungry."

---

Jude POV

Tommy and I are sitting at a table, eating lunch and just chatting. I know that I should be back with the others, helping them get down the slope in one piece, but SME's a handful, and I'm enjoying myself.

"So, are you single?" he asked teasingly.

"Yes, in fact, I am," I answered, grinning.

"What, a pretty girl like you?" he asked in mock shock.

"Well thank you sir, and as for yourself?" I asked, inching my head closer.

"Why, I'm single too!" he said, also inching closer. We were inching closer, and closer, and before I knew it… BAM! We're kissing. His fingers automatically reached up for my hair, and mine reached for his. Simultaneously, we both realized what we were doing, and we broke apart.

"I, ah…" I said wide-eyed.

"Yeah, I, ah…" he said looking away.

"Um, I think we just got caught up in the moment, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course!" he said. We just stared at each other awkwardly.

"I, um, I better go," I said, getting up.

"Yeah," he said softly. "I'll just wait here for everyone else."

"Okay, see you then," I said over my shoulder, rushing out the door of the lodge. When I got outside I slumped against a wall.

"What am I doing?" I whispered to myself. I sat for a moment, just breathing, before I got up to find SME and the rest of the group.

**Okay, kiddies. What'd you think? I love all my reviewers, they make me very happy!**

**Cheers,**

**breezyme**


	6. In a Split Second

"Is this a joke

**Okay, I know I've got people who are angry… and people who are just glad to see an update (okay, okay, and then there's the people who don't care. Sheesh). To both (all), I say; Voila!**

Jude POV

That night, Patsy came into my room, as usual.

"Go get SME. I'm ready." Patsy grinned at the announcement.

"Sure thing, Blondie." She left and came back with SME in tow.

"Okay guys, I have a vague idea, but I'm gonna need help…"

--

SME, Karma, Patsy, and Jamie sat at a table near the stage. Darius had taken Portia home that day, something about a mental breakdown.

I sat backstage, Sam by my side, guitar in hand, performing one of my old habits; nail biting.

"Jude, you need to get over your nervousness. The song is great," Sam encouraged. But Sam had no idea who I was singing to, and had no idea of the significance of the song I'd be singing after.

"…and now," the Pete said, "our very own Jane will be premiering a brand new song, and then, as a special treat, will sing one of her favorite songs. So, Jane, you want to come on out here?"

"Thanks for the intro, Pete. I hope you guys enjoy this one. It's entitled 'In a Split Second'."

Tommy POV

I didn't know why SME and Patsy had dragged me and their respective partners down to the karaoke bar until Pete took the stage, announcing a new song of Jane's.

"…So, Jane, you want to come on out here?"

"Thanks for the intro, Pete. I hope you guys enjoy this one. It's entitled 'In a Split Second'."

I watched Jane nervously fiddle with the mike, reminding me so much of Jude.

"_Was it really only four years ago,_

_That I heard you say those words,_

_That I put away,_

_Was it really only four years ago,_

_That it 'never happened'"_

Something about the verse was ringing bells in my memory. But what? Then I realized; more Jude. I had time for a brief flash of the whole 'we have to agree it never happened' scene after her sixteenth birthday. I listened harder.

"_You thought I didn't hear,_

_You thought I'd never know,_

_But I heard you say,_

_So clearly,_

_In a split second,_

_Well now that's only just a year away"_

Again, memories flooded my mind, these ones of the conversation I'd had with Kwest.

"_But if she was twenty-one?"_

"_In a split second."_

Jude would be twenty now. Just a year away from 21. Was it possible? I needed more comfirmation before I could hope.

"_In a split second,_

_You said you'd take me,_

_I don't want to wait for that second,_

_I don't want to hide anymore,_

_This mask is coming off,_

_And I hope you understand,_

_Why I left_

_You thought I'd never know,_

_But I thought that you'd show, two years ago,_

_So hear me say,_

_In a split second,_

_Well now that's only just a year away,_

_In a split second,_

_I'd take you too_

_I should've stayed,_

_I should've talked,_

_I should've asked,_

_So that I'd know,_

_And I hope it's not too late,_

_To tell you that I love you_

_In a split second,_

_Well now that's only just a year away,_

_In a split second,_

_You said you'd take me_

_That_

_Split_

_Second's arrived_

_Those_

_Words_

_Still break my heart_

_And I hope it's not too late,_

_To tell you that I love you_

_To tell you that I love you_"

I sat there, a little shell-shocked, but entirely hopeful. Entirely hopeful that I could finally get to see my Girl again.

"And now," Jane said, clearing her throat, "a favorite song of mine. A tribute to Canada, if you will."

And then she sat on the piano bench and played those familiar opening chords. And I knew it was Jude.

"_I tried to tell you  
I've got to get away  
I tried to say  
I need my space  
I got to get some  
Distance in between  
My heart and my head_

I'm on the razor's edge  
I've been here before  
I know the way

White lines  
And headlights in my eyes  
White lines  
I'm ready to drive all night  
White lines  
How many 'till I'm in your arms  
White lines  
Will bring me home

I held you in  
My arms last night  
I dreamed we were  
Riding on a star  
I kissed you and  
The sun began to shine  
In dreams I can do anything

It seems like I'm on my own  
It feels like I'm losing it all

White lines  
And headlights in my eyes  
White lines  
I'm ready to drive all night  
White lines  
How many 'till I'm in your arms  
White lines  
Will bring me

Seems like I've been here before  
I know the way  
Seems like I've been on my own  
So long  
So long

White lines  
And headlights in my eyes  
White lines  
I'm ready to drive all night  
White lines  
How many 'till I'm in your arms  
White lines  
Will bring me home"

She brought out all those feelings again.

General POV

Tommy was crying, Jude was crying, and SME and Patsy looked on with a smile.

"J- Jude?" Tommy asked cautiously. She nodded. He ran up to her and hugged her. "I missed you, Girl."

And Jude smiled. "I missed you too, Tommy. And I love you."

And Tommy smiled. "And I love you, too."

FIN

**What can I say, I'm a sap, and a sucker for happy endings. And the word fin. Oh, by the way, this is the final chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed this!**

**One last time,**

**breezyme**

**P.S. There's possibility of an epilogue, but you'll need to feed my muse, the review monster ;)**


	7. Epilogue: STD

You have asked (in a very nice, complimentary way that made my muse purr) for the epilogue

**You have asked (in a very nice, complimentary way that made my muse purr) for the epilogue. So, enjoy! And don't forget to watch season 4 of IS (who could forget?) on June 2 (U.S.) or June 8 (Canada), because I need to know I'm not the only completely obsessed fan there is out there who's bouncing eagerly on their toes and when people say 'I can't wait for summer' says 'I can't wait for June 2 (or 8)!'**

Jude POV

Tommy and I rode home from the airport in his Viper. SME were in Speid's car, and Jamie, Patsy and Karma (yes, in the same car. Yes, we all realize how dangerous this is for Jamie) had piled into Jamie's car.

Tommy wrote something on a piece of paper, then handed it to me.

"What's this?" I said, brow furrowed. "An autographed picture of Tommy Quincy?"

"Turn it over," he said. I did, and I felt my face light up.

"Thomas Dutois," I whispered. Then I grinned. "Dutois, eh? This is good. I think I'll be able to take you seriously now that I know you're not Tommy Quincy, _Mr. Dutois._"

He groaned. "I tell you something you've been wanting to know for over 3 years and you repay me by _mocking it,_" he said as we pulled into the G-Major parking lot.

"No, no, no, you've got it all wrong, you see. _That _is how I mock you. _This _is how I repay you," she said, capturing his lips

Sadie came out of the G-Major parking lot, and upon seeing Tommy sucking face with some, to her, nameless blond, she smiled.

"Hey Tommy! Nice to see you finally-" Sadie began, stopping abruptly when the blond turned around. "Jude?"

"Sexy Sadie what have you done…" I sang cheerily.

"Yep, it's definitely you," Sadie smiled. Then she frowned. "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS! EVERYBODY WAS WORRIED, AND WHERE WERE YOU? SITTING AROUND IN AN EXPENSIVE HOTEL EATING BON-BONS, NO DOUBT!"

"It's so refreshing to be verbally abused instead of physically," I mused. And then Sadie ran up and hugged me.

"I missed you, little sis."

"Call me that again…" I warned.

"Fine. Now, wait a second, didn't I see you two just sucking face five minutes ago?"

"Yeah," Tommy grinned, although he looked out-of-it. What _was_ he thinking about? Then I realized.

"Later, Tommy," I scolded playfully. His grin got bigger.

--

_Two years later…_

"_Don't cry to me,_

_If you loved me,_

_You would be here with me…_"

"Dude, how bad was the fight last night?" Kwest asked as Jude recorded her newest material.

"You hear the song, man? Her hormones are out of control," Tommy winced. But then he smiled. He loved Jude's hormones being out of whack, because any day now it was going to bring him and Jude a kid. Their own kid. His smile got a little bigger.

Jude bounced out of the recording booth, a smile on her face. "Hey, Tommy, I'm sorry for the other night. I was just… well, you know."

"Yeah, I do," he said, kissing her.

"Let's take a break," Kwest said, leaving the room.

Jude pulled Tommy into the sound booth, dragging him to the keyboard.

"Sing with me," she pleaded. He smiled when he heard the opening chords.

"_I tried to tell you,_

_I've got to get away,_

_I tried to say,_

_I need my space,_" Jude began.

Then Tommy came in;

"_I need to get some,_

_Distance in between,_

_My heart and my head-_" But he never finished his line. Jude stopped playing, and was clutching her stomach. "Bag- now," she managed to gasp out between contractions.

That day, Stuart Tally Dutois, _female_, was born.

"You can't name a girl Stuart!" Tommy said.

"Says who?" Jude asked, stroking the girl's hair.

"Says… well…"

"She'll live," Jude said. "And we can call her STD, for short," she giggled. Sadie chuckled somewhere in the background.

"Give me our kid," he said. "How about we call her Sam? That name's unisex."

"Fine," she sighed, "be boring."

"You'll thank me when labor has made you insane," he said. "Now go to sleep."

Correction. That day _Sam _Tally Dutois was born. But her aunt Sadie still calls her STD.

**There you have it. It's officially over (tear). The first song is "Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanescence. The second is, of course, White Lines.**

**Well, ta ta for now,**

**breezy**


End file.
